I do have an ulterior motive in telling you this. The blog exists specifically to cover a forthcoming event: at the end of July I'm going to walk the length of the Pilgrims' Way, 120 miles from Winchester Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral. It should take me about a week. And I'm going to do it without a map or, for that matter, GPS, sat-nav, Google or technology of any kind, barring a mobile phone which will be set on "receive". I'll be walking blind, trusting to faith, signposts and the advice of strangers, much as the medieval pilgrims would have done.

The purpose of this is to raise a metric shitload of money for charity. Specifically for Cancerbackup, a cause which is much in my thoughts right now.

I'm telling you this for three reasons. Firstly, if I'm going to raise a metric shitload of money I need to start with friends and family. That would be you. You can sponsor me by going to www.justgiving.com/jameswallis and pledging funds, with the option to only pay up if I finish the walk and don't, for example, accidentally fall over the White Cliffs of Dover. Or you can email me a pledge based on something more idiosyncratic: a quid for every squirrel I see along the way, perhaps, or a tenner every time a farmer tells me to get orf his orchards.

Secondly, I'm hoping you can help me to spread the word and stuff. If you're in a group or on a mailing list whose members, you think, either may have heard of me or may have respect for acts of heroic stupidity like this, then please point them at my blog.

And thirdly, if you feel like it, the offer is open for you to come and join me for a day or half-day of walking. We'll be heading through some of the most attractive areas of southern England, at a time of year when it's at its absolute best, with railway stations close to the start and end of each day's walk and many good pubs in between. Drop me a line if that sounds like fun.

Any help you can give me in making this walk as successful as possible, whether financial, spiritual or literal, means an awful lot.